The use of breath control compositions such as breath mints, mouthwashes, chewing gums, etc. is widespread in most of the developed countries of the world. Another form which has been used are microcapsules containing a flavorant or other breath protection agent. These executions have acceptance due not only to their usefulness away from a place to expectorate mouthwashes but also due to the fact that they can be swallowed when the user does not need any more of the actives or doesn't want the microcapsule in the mouth any longer.
Although microcapsules have been used, there are problems associated with incorporating certain breath protection agents/antimicrobials into the core. Oftentimes the wall of the microcapsule may develop imperfections and cause loss of the contents prematurely. Additionally, the actives may not be easily solubilized in the materials usually present in the core.
The prior art discloses a variety of means for providing breath protection and reducing oral bacteria. Included among such means are sprays disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,431,208, Mar. 4, 1969 to Bailey. Particles containing an adhesive member are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,911,099, Oct. 7, 1975 to Den Foney et al. Another form is a mouthwash concentrate in a unit dosage cup as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,312,889, Jan. 26, 1982 to Melsheimer. Breath protection microcapsules are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/003,080 to Stapler et al., filed Jan. 11, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,300,305 issued Apr. 5, 1994 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/017,944 to Stapler et al., filed Feb. 12, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,286,496 issued Feb. 15, 1994. All of these references are incorporated herein by reference.
The present inventors have found that by incorporating the breath control/antimicrobial actives into the core of the microcapsule along with organic diluents and a specific sweetener combination, problems associated with other microcapsule executions can be avoided.
The volume limitations inherent in the use of the microcapsules of the present invention requires careful selection of the amount and type of materials contained therein. Without being limited by theory, it has been discovered that the use of a specific sweetener component in the present invention provides increased actual and/or perceived sweetness as well as improving the sweetness perception in the oral cavity. This combination of certain specific sweeteners provides an optimized sweetness profile and/or sweetness intensity in the microcapsules of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide improved microcapsules.
It is another object of the present invention to provide microcapsules which provide improved breath control and reduce oral bacteria having an improved sweetness profile.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide improved methods of providing breath control and reducing oral bacteria.
These and other objects will become more apparent from the detailed description which follows.